Traveling with kids can be a wonderful, memory-building experience. Let’s be honest, it can also be one of those nightmares you can’t wake yourself up from. My wife used to be a travel agent so spends weeks planning our vacations. If our son had his way, the only sights we would see would be toy stores and amusement parks. I, on the other hand, have about a 30-minute tolerance for “family fun” activities before I start punching myself in the face and must be brought wine immediately. Balancing everyone’s vacation needs isn’t easy but if you’re visiting Vancouver, you’re in luck. Here are three uniquely Vancouver spots offering family fun without family breakdowns:

Granville Island

Your littles of any age will love Kids Market with a four-level play area, toy shops, old-fashioned arcade, outdoor water park and, every kid’s favorite, their very own kid-sized entrance door. Now that our son is a tween he’s too tall (and cool) for the door but it’s still the perfect height for me! “Ugh, mom, you’re so embarrassing.”

Granville Island is also home to artist studios, clothing boutiques, gift shops, restaurants and the world famous Public Market. You could spend all day wandering outdoors, taking in busker performances, watching for seals in the surrounding waters, or enjoying an adult beverage on a patio. From Granville Island you can take a wee ferry to several fun places like Science World, the Maritime Museum and English Bay. Not just a daytime destination, Granville Island has the highest concentration of live theatres in Vancouver, a brewery, and a hotel so you could happily spend a weekend there.